Friday 16 January 2015

Friday


Note: the above grainy finish was intentional - the light's not that bad here. Well, not at the moment anyway. Although we do keep getting hail showers where the sky blackens, the thunder rolls and you peer out of the window feeling grateful you're not outdoors.

It's Friday. I'm pretty sure I say this every week but: it does seem to have been a long one. I'm definitely getting that 'crossing the finish line' feeling this afternoon.

So, this past week (other than playing with photo editing software) I've been out to playgroups where much tea has been imbibed whilst snuggling up to cranky old heating pipes. I've slithered down snowy lanes in the car. I've been out and about on little errands. I've cooked keep-the-cold-out hearty meals.


As I mentioned in my last post, I have found some colour here and there. But these past few sleety days have been spent hunkering down so no snowdrop-watch for me. Any bright green shoots are being watched from the window.

We've also been feeding the birds a lot and Joe loves to observe them hopping about - they're so much more visible against a backdrop of snow.

Our time indoors has been spent painting and playing with Duplo and diggers. We've been to the library and there are several books on the go (Joe's currently into this one - so much so I keep renewing it). He's also discovered the joys of the fried egg sandwich.

I'm working on a few knitting projects at the moment: a cream wool scarf and a quick-to-make ribbed hat in some pale grey chunky yarn. Other January pleasures: a scented white candle, bath salts, a bunch of paperwhites and episodes of Poirot viewed from under a blanket. I make no apologies for the Poirot. I love it. Oh, and woolly jumpers (hence the picture at the start of this post). Double-oh: the fact that it's still perfectly acceptable to drink Baileys even though Christmas has been and gone. Doesn't matter if you run out of milk; if you've got Baileys then there's really no need to drink your coffee black.

Not that I give Joe Baileys on his Weetabix, you understand. If things get that bad I go to the shop for milk. Baileys is obviously far too expensive completely unsuitable for a toddler.


Book-wise, I'm on Mrs Fytton's Country Life by Mavis Cheek. I've never read her before and it's just a paperback I found on my mum's bookshelf. It's quite well written (and funny) so I'm enjoying it despite the complaints on Goodreads of the plot being a bit formulaic...

Weekend looks to follow the usual pattern: Saturday very busy until mid-afternoon. That's when Joe naps so it kind of forces us to stay home and stop what we're doing. It's actually the perfect excuse to stay home and stop what we're doing. No complaints from me. Sunday we may venture out to look at the steam trains. There's some kind of gala so Joe can get his fill of locomotive action, I can take some pictures, the ducks can guzzle all our saved-up crusts and Jay can spend plenty of daddy time with his boy.

This all depends on the extremely changeable weather, of course.

Have a wonderful weekend.

P.S. You may notice a few changes going on around here regarding the look of the blog. That's because I'm working on a new design and it's a gradual process, me not being the most technically savvy of people. Rather than enlist the services of a professional I'm attempting it myself with rather a lot of help (which I appreciate hugely). So apologies if Mitenska looks a bit different each time you visit. It's what's known as A Process (and a steep learning curve)...




27 comments:

  1. I personally love changing the look of my blog all the time and also love playing with photo editing software and apps and such. It is just another way to be creative! Did you knit the yoke jumper in the first picture? Love it! Greetings from Seattle! :-)

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    1. Hello! Greetings from Lancashire (but wishing I was in Seattle)...
      I know, I could (and do) lose hours to photo editing - but I suppose it's time well spent!
      Sadly the jumper's far too complicated for my ham-fisted knitting skills. I saw it before Christmas but couldn't really justify the purchase, but then spotted it half price last week in the sale so just had to...

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  2. What a lovely post. It's full of "ordinary"things about January life with a small child, but you express it so beautifully. My offspring are definately small no longer, in fact our weekend will be spent driving to my sons uni , where his sister has popped across from her uni, so that we can have a meal together to celebrate his 22nd birthday. Believe me , it was only seconds ago that he was riding a tricycle, so enjoy every moment with that little chap of yours! Have a lovely weekend. Penny L in Dorsetx

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    1. Hello!
      I must say, looking back at the collages in my last post and seeing how little Joe was did give me a bit of a twinge. Already he's grown too fast!
      I hope you have a lovely time with your family (and that the food's great!)
      S :)

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  3. Such a lovely, newsy post, and gorgeous images too. I like your January pleasure. Poirot is right up there for me too, I love it.

    I used to love the way the kids naps forced us to take some time to rest in the middle of the day. I kind of miss that! xx

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  4. Hello Sarah
    I am new to your blog and have to say it is a complete delight. Your words and images combine beautifully to tell your story, what a joy to have come into your world!
    Lots of love
    Lucy Attic24

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    1. Thank you so much! And nice to see you here - I will of course pay you a visit too :)
      S x

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  5. I miss playgroup! My littlest boy always used to sit on my lap and play, he never liked me to be too far away. It was lovely. I quite miss naptime as well in fact! Wishing you all a very good weekend. CJ xx

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    1. Playgroup's a bit of a lifeline sometimes, isn't it? Even having a cup of tea made for you is such a lovely thing sometimes... Have a great weekend too x

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  6. I change little things on my blog fairly often. I like to play around with it. It sounds like you're finding lots to enjoy this January. I enjoy reading about your time at home with Joe. It reminds me so much of when my son was a toddler.

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    1. Thanks Jennifer - I know I'll miss these times in a year or two once he's in pre-school (and then school). I can't think about that just yet!

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  7. Ooo what photo editing sizzle are you using at the moment? I am on a VSCO journey of discovery. I love all the photos but most of all the one of you at the top! x

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    1. Thanks Annie! I've yet to check out VSCO... I'm still stuck on Radlab to be honest. I love it - definitely one of my best ever buys :)
      x

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  8. January seems to passing very happily for you! We are having much the same mix of weather here too. So bright and light one minute and purple grey skies the next. I need a little blog revamp but haven't got round to giving it a go. I'm not really sure what I'm doing. Wishing you a lovely weekend. Bee xx

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    1. Same to you, Bee - and if I manage to develop my design skills I'll pass some tips on to you.
      Sx

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  9. I like your thinking about the Baileys - for yourself of course! Good luck with the bloggy remodel! I am always so impressed by people doing that sort of thing. xx

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    1. Thank you - hopefully it'll turn out OK. Let's just think of it as being part of my new 'being brave' strategy for 2015: to break out of my technophobe mould!

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  10. I love your post full of simple pleasures and your gorgeous photos, especially the top one. (and a lovely jumper too)

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    1. Thanks! H&M (the jumper) - they seem to be doing lots of nice Nordic style knits at the moment. And it was reduced by 50% in the sale. Even better!

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  11. Not looked at your blog before, but I see you live in Lancashire. That is where my family came from although they moved to Devon when I was a child but I still have a relation in Lancashire with whom I keep in touch regularly, so understand you have snow right now whereas we here in south Devon have had a day basking in sunshine with no rain, wind, sleet or snow; how our small island can have such diversity of weather in a few hundred miles is amazing.
    I read a few Mavis Cheek books several years ago and enjoyed them, including the one you are currently reading.
    Does the name of your blog - Mitenska - have any particular significance?
    Margaret P

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    1. Hello, and nice to meet you. I do indeed live in Lancashire, in the Pennines. We've had a lot of snow over the weekend and it just keeps coming - not that I'm complaining!
      Mitenska is a nod to my Polish heritage but apparently doesn't actually translate as anything, despite me being told (by a Pole) it means 'mittens'.
      As for the book: I may have to try more of her fiction. Which means more to add to the ever-growing reading pile!

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    2. Lovely of you to reply - I used to live in Whitworth as a child, but my parents moved to Devon when I was a child - there is much to recommend Devon, not least of which is the milder climate. Today has been bright and sunny!
      Margaret P

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    3. Oh, that made me laugh - Whitworth's not too far from here. I used to work with a Michael Whitworth, of Whitworth Road in - yes, you've guessed it.
      There's something very 'League of Gentleman' about that...
      I agree, Devon is very lovely. I'd love to visit again one day.

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  12. No apologies needed for Poirot. He's a favourite here, too. Had forgotten about bath salts which always featured at bath time when I was growing up (and bath cubes). Have you tried chucking in some Epsom salts? Apparently they're magnesium rich and very beneficial healthwise.

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    1. Do you know, I tried recently to get hold of some Epsom salts for that very reason and was informed by the chemist that very few places stock them these days: you need to buy them online.
      I'm sure there'll be somewhere selling them - must keep looking!

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  13. Love Poirot. Comfort TV just like comfort food! And sometimes a formulaic plot is a necessity to be enjoyed, not endured!

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